Time to get your 2011 “Holiday Baubles” postage stamps

Do you send Christmas cards? I do. And I love the special Christmas stamps.

Today, I picked up two books of the new U.S. holiday postage stamps, which were just issued last week.

As you may know, each year the U.S. Post Office puts out a different secular holiday stamp design and a religious one featuring an artistic masterpiece.

This year, the secular design is called Holiday Baubles. The first class postage stamps feature four ribbon-bedecked ornaments inspired by 1950s design and are delightfully retro and colorful.

William J. Gicker art directed these stamps using illustrations by Linda Fountain. Drawing on styles popular during the 1950s, she first sketched the ornaments then rendered them using cut paper. These renderings were scanned and turned into digital files. The actual objects are slightly larger than a sheet of typing paper.

These stamps are being issued in books of 20 self-adhesive Forever stamps. They cost $8.80 for a book of 20. Stock up now, because you know the holiday stamps always sell out early, especially when they’re this winsome! You can buy them at your local post office, or purchase them online.